Zen and Shirayuki A-Z
by CatsCradle22
Summary: This is a set of 26 drabbles and one-shots dedicated to Zen and Shirayuki. Other pairings may be mentioned but will not take center stage.
1. Chapter 1

**Acceptance**

 _"Yes, Prince Zen."_

 _"Do you think I can find someone who can make me believe that she truly needs me?"_

Her lips were soft as they moved against his, returning his feelings in equal measure. Her fingers curled into the material of his jacket, keeping him anchored to his place. When it became necessary to breathe, the couple parted but did not open their eyes. Zen leaned his forehead against Shirayuki's and let out a small, content sigh. Slowly, his eyes opened to take in her soft features. The first thing he saw was her small smile. His attention was quickly captured by her emerald orbs.

Zen moved the hand that was tangled in her hair forward to stroke her cheek. The love and acceptance in her eyes washed over him like a fresh, cool breeze on a hot day. She returned his feelings and not only that, but she was willing to work for their relationship. Shirayuki knew it would be hard to be in a relationship with the second prince of Clarines but she took his hand anyway. It was this determination, passion, and quiet strength that Zen had fallen in love with in the first place.

The couple spent another half hour just sitting together holding hands in the forest. No words were spoken, all that was needed had been said earlier. Finally, Zen stood and helped Shirayuki join him on her feet. It was time to get back to their lives as a Prince and an Apprentice Pharmacist. They held hands as they walked, just until the edge of the forest. Zen held her back before they exited the sanctuary of trees. "Thank you, Shirayuki." He said.

Shirayuki smiled up at her Prince. "Anytime Zen," was her only response. And then the two headed back to reality, each with a new lightness to their steps.

 **Weeeeeeeeell I'm back! I've started watching Akagami No Shirayukihime and I. Love. It. The animation is beautiful and I love the story. I went and read the entire manga to date and I love that too! So I came up with this idea to do 26 drabbles and short one shots that follow the alphabet. If you have an idea for the next letter, please do share it in a PM or review. I hope you enjoy!**

 **CC22**


	2. Chapter 2

**Balm**

Zen was amazed by how she felt in his arms. They fit perfectly together and while he felt extremely girly whenever he thought about it, he couldn't help but admit that she was perfect for him. His life was hectic at best and frantic at worst. Being the second prince of a country was a bigger job than some would think and sometimes it became too much. During those times, Zen wished to see her most. Luckily he had friends like Mitsuhide and Kiki, who would try to find Shirayuki and bring her to visit.

She was a balm for his troubled soul. Being with her, Zen could forget that he was the Prince of Clarines and could just be Zen Wisteria. She accepted him for who he was and would show him her true self in return. Zen felt at peace when he was with her and he knew that his friends felt the same. Shirayuki fit naturally into the dynamic that he, Mitsuhide and Kiki had; so much so that it was like she had always been with them.

Today had been a particularly busy day and it was very late at night. Zen visited the wing of the castle that his brother had so generously provided for his retainers with the sole purpose of seeing her. Now that he held her against him as they stood in the shadow of a balcony, he felt the tension between his shoulder blades fade away. He forgot the thoughts that had been running through his mind as he worked that day.

Yes, Shirayuki was a balm for Zen's soul. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

 **I want to thank Guest for reviewing. Next time, log in so I know who you are! And I'm sorry I couldn't use your prompt. I really liked it but I couldn't think of a single thing that would do it justice. This isn't my best work either but I wanted to post something for you all.**

 **Thanks to all who followed and favorited this collection of stories. I would appreciate more reviews so I can improve as a writer. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this little drabble and please leave me ideas for the letter C.**

 **CC22**


	3. Chapter 3

**Cold  
Credit: Far2addicted**

The northern part of Clarines never seemed to thaw. Shirayuki shivered and pulled her thin cloak closer about her, trying to keep as much heat in as possible. She was quickly finding that she had not adequately prepared for having cold weather all year. However, she could not let that bother her right now. The King had given her a mission which she felt that she must complete.

Shirayuki knew that Izana's opinion of her was changing. However, she also knew that he was a crafty man and that he would put her through many grueling tests before accepting her as the one Zen would have by his side forever. After all, she did not have a title until Raj gave her one and even that was not as strong as many would like to believe. She was not universally accepted among those in the castle and knew she needed to prove herself to them as well. But if she had the weight of the King as well as Prince Zen behind her, things would be much simpler.

Making the Olin Maris harmless was proving to be as difficult as she had been told. She hoped to use the light crystal principle to eliminate the poison but keep the light. However, she was running out of time and everyone was starting to see how frantic she was becoming. Ryuu tried his best to keep up with her but she was pushing the pace faster every day. Even now, she was practically running along a breezeway to the library in the hopes of finding a book she remembered reading some alchemy in that might help in her quest.

The wind bit through her cloak as it ruffled along behind her and she shivered again. Shirayuki missed Zen. She missed Mitsuhide and Kiki too. In order to see them again, however, she had to stay focused. It was this collection of thoughts that was running through her mind when Obi landed in front of her, startling her into slipping on some ice and heading for a rough landing. That landing never happened as Obi dropped the box he was carrying and grabbed her, pulling the red-head to his chest. "Whoa Mistress! You ought to be more careful about running in this place!" he scolded lightly.

Shirayuki pulled away and frowned up at the cat-eyed man. "You shouldn't be dropping in so suddenly and scaring the life out of me!" she returned.

Obi chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that Mistress. But there was a package for you from our friends in the castle down south and I thought maybe you'd like to open it now," he said casually.

Shirayuki's eyes widened and she looked down at the package that had been briefly forgotten in all the fuss. Obi broke through the wrappings with one of his throwing knives and watched as Shirayuki bent down to open it. Her eyes lit up as she pulled forth a rich blue cloak made with the finest wool and animal skins. It was lined with fur on the top for added warmth. The ties of the cloak had little red tassels on the ends. Beneath the cloak was a brand new pair of blue mittens, fur lined as well, and a blue earmuffs with red trim. "They're so beautiful!" she gasped.

There was a note enclosed with the package. " _Remember to stay warm and well. I miss you. –Zen"_

 **...**

 **It's been a while hasn't it? Well I have been very busy getting my future in order. I'm in one of those between times and I need to make sure the next chapter of my life starts with a few problems as possible. If you have any suggestions for future letters, let me know. The next letter is D! Now, I want to thank the following people for reviewing this story and briefly respond to your reviews. If you don't care to read this part, I hope you have a lovely week ahead and have a Happy Thanksgiving. It's that time of year in America, my foreign viewers.**

 **wordslinger - Thank you so much! I am never confident in my writing so it means a lot that you think I have talent. I've been working on trying to keep everyone as close to their real character (as I see it) as possible so let me know if I mess that up! And yeah, I can't wait for the second season and I wish they would continue the anime to cover the whole manga!**

 **Rayy - Thank you very much! I'm not confident in my skills and I appreciate your encouragement. I am in a busy time of life but I will try to write as much as I can. Flexing my creative muscle relieves stress!**

 **Far2addicted - Thanks for the suggestion! As you can see, I used it! I loved that idea and the manga is in a really good place for a prompt like Cold. Please keep the suggestions coming.**

 **Animeforlife2017 - I'm so glad you think I'm doing this wonderful anime justice! Thank you so much for your suggestions. I'm already thinking about what I could do with a few of them. If you think of others, let me know!**

 **fantasyfreak23 - Thanks! I love the two of them as well! I think they balance each other out perfectly and its killing me that there hasn't been a chapter update in so long for the manga! Please keep reading/reviewing my stories!**

 **CC22**


	4. Chapter 4

Date

Credit: Me

The walk through Joka was something Shirayuki had been looking forward to for some time. She and Zen rarely got days off and when they did, it was even more rare that they were the same day! So when Zen invited her to go on a day trip anywhere she wanted to go, Shirayuki naturally assumed that he meant to take everyone. So you can imagine her joy when Zen, blushing, told her he wanted it to be just the two of them. Shirayuki woke early that morning to pick out suitable clothes for their date. She wanted to look good and impress Zen but she also had to choose something that would not draw attention to them since she was merely a court herbalist with unique hair and Zen was the second prince of Clarines! Having chosen her outfit, she allowed Obi to escort her to the fountain that she and Zen had chosen for a meeting spot.

The date itself was not something that would be considered extraordinary. They spent most of their time walking and looking at the wares of several unique shops. Zen told her stories from his younger days and she pointed out various oddities that they passed. But that's not what this was about. This was their very first official date. Up until now, all of their romantic interactions have been careful and hesitant since they never really knew if they were safe from prying eyes. Out here though, they could forget titles and stations in life.

Here, in Joka, they were just a boy and a girl falling in love and trying to learn as much as they can about each other. They could share secrets and hold hands without fear of reprimand. Older couples looked at them fondly, remembering themselves at that age. The shopkeeper secretly gave Zen a discount when he purchased the pendant for Shirayuki. He had seen the way the young prince looked at the red-haired girl as she admired the trinket. Another stall owner kept Zen distracted while Shirayuki finished writing her letter to Zen, remembering when she wrote notes to her own husband.

And when Zen, after a long day spent with the love of his life, pulled Shirayuki into a searing kiss, the people of Joka turned away to give them some privacy. Though some had figured out who the pair was, no one thought to start rumors. It was plain to see that they were witness to true love that day, and nobody wanted to sully that. Besides, who doesn't dream of the commoner and the prince falling in love and being able to stay together?

 **Not my best work but at least it's a chapter. I will finish this anthology. I am a new grad student and life is very busy for me so I will only be updating sporadically. But this isn't that big of a deal because this is not a connected story so you aren't hanging on the edge of your seat when I finish a chapter.**

 **Leave me a review and let me know what you think! Also, if anyone is still reading this, give me some E words for prompts! I'll give credit to the person whose idea I use!**

 **CC22**


	5. Chapter 5

Envy

Zen sat at his desk reading the same line of text over and over again. He knew if he didn't finish this report, Izana would hold it over him for days but his mind was occupied on other things. Namely, Shirayuki and his new daughter Hikari. Ever since she was born a month ago, Zen never gets to spend time with his beloved wife. She was always tending to the baby and he was convinced that Hikari was messing with him.

Just when he was finally able to pull his wife away from the nursery, Hikari would cry out and Shirayuki would rush back to her side to calm the baby down. It just wasn't fair! When _he_ pouted or tried to get Shirayuki's attention, she would either ignore him, or give him a look and move on. Even when he did have her attention, the only thing she would talk about was how adorable their daughter was and what new things she was learning to do.

A quiet knock at the door interrupted his train of thought. "Enter."

The very object of his desire slipped though the door carrying the object of his annoyance. Hikari was asleep in her mother's arms. Zen stood from his desk and quickly joined his wife who had made her way to the couch in his office. "Is everything alright?" Zen asked, momentarily feeling a spike of worry that something was wrong with Hikari.

"We are both fine Zen. ...I just wanted to see you. I hope I'm not disturbing you too much. You can go back to work if you need to." Shirayuki looked a bit lonely in that instance and Zen couldn't help but to feel hope. Was he finally going to get some time with his wife?

Zen looked up intending to tell his attendants to take a break only to find that they had already left the couple alone. Deciding not to be annoyed at how well the three of them could read him, Zen refocused his attention on Shirayuki. "You aren't disturbing me. I was actually just thinking about how much I wanted to see you."

Shirayuki flushed at his words. Even now, she still blushed when Zen was even the least bit romantic towards her. The pair were silent for a few minutes, content just to be together. Finally, Shirayuki said, "She's taking longer naps. I think I'll be able to go back to work soon. I'm really anxious to be back in the pharmacy."

"If you missed it that much I could have had a wet nurse brought in to care for Hikari." Zen said, feeling a bit bad that she had missed her job. She had been forced to stop working when she started to show and with Hikari being so dependent on her mother, Shirayuki had not been able to do much work for quite a while.

"Oh no! I love taking care of her. After all, she's our daughter. I feel horrible every time I think about how much I want to go back to work. It's not that I don't adore her... I just need some time for myself. Is that horrible of me?"

Shirayuki looked very worried about what Zen would think of her confession. "I don't think it's horrible. I'm no better. I love our baby girl but sometimes I wish she wouldn't take all of your attention. I miss my wife. I swear sometimes she starts crying just so I can't have any time with you!"

Shirayuki looks up at Zen in surprise. Then she began to giggle, "Zen are you saying you're jealous of a baby?"

Zen pouted,"It's not funny!" He whined. This only made her laugh harder. Her laughter woke Hikari who blinked her crystalline blue eyes up at her parents. Seeing her mother laughing, she let out a gurgle of her own and smiled. "And then she goes and does something like that and I have to forgive her."

Shirayuki watches as her husband reaches over and smooths the platinum hair away from their daughter's face. "She has your smile," he comments softly. The love in his eyes as he looks at his daughter almost brings tears to Shirayuki's eyes.

Hikari reaches for her father who lifts her into his arms. She gurgles happily and plays with the tassels on his coat. Watching father and daughter interact, Shirayuki lets out a happy sigh. "She's worth all of it."

"Yeah, she is."

 **This is dedicated to Solarsnowfox who showed me that there is at least one person who is reading and enjoying these little stories. Thank you so much for your review. I haven't forgotten this fic, I just thought nobody was interested anymore. I'll keep going so thank you for reading!**

 **CC22**


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